Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the issues on appeal.

The Board finds that the Veteran's low back disability was not caused or aggravated by active service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and back disability, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes and his tinnitus is not related to service, including noise exposure. Therefore, the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to address the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an increased rating for PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his in-service noise exposure. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not related to his service, as there was no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a nexus between his current conditions and service. The preponderance of the evidence did not support the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, tinnitus, and hearing loss) render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board finds the evidence in equipoise as to whether his PTSD symptoms prevent him from securing and following such employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as initial compensable evaluations for migraines. The evidence did not show that the Veteran experienced prostrating attacks of migraines prior to October 28, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and needs further development before a final decision can be made.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including review of the claims file by a psychologist and consideration of an additional statement submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, glaucoma, pituitary testicular disorder and vertigo have been denied as they are not related to service or a service-connected disability.,Service connection has been denied for diabetes mellitus due to lack of evidence linking it to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. Glaucoma, pituitary testicular disorder and vertigo were also not found to be directly related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to in-service noise exposure, warranting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Board hearing at his local Regional Office. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are pending.

The Veteran's claim for a higher evaluation for PTSD was granted, and he is now rated at 50 percent. The TDIU claim was also granted.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 70 percent, which meets the criteria for a TDIU under VA regulations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service, including noise exposure during military service. The preponderance of evidence is against both claims for service connection.